Happy, Loving, Mysterious, Tragic No More
by nevergone4ever
Summary: OK, first story. Uh... Foxface's POV most or all of the way, and... I love this story! Lots of action and a little romance maybe later on... Still not sure though! Thanks! Rated T 'cuz DUH. It's the Hunger Games...
1. Chapter 1- Reaped

Happy, Loving, Mysterious, Tragic No More

Two years ago, I was happy. Loving.

But today I am not. I am outraged.

I, Kit Isabelle Faux, have been chosen for the Hunger Games.

I walk defiantly up to the stage, my long red hair in a huge, fluffy ponytail swaying at my hip. The announcer _thing_ (the only way to describe HER) is named Muff. Muff has very short, almost nonexistent hair. It has streaks of red in it that match her miniscule bikini top and long, flowy skirt that ends just below the ankles. Her shoe heels are fifteen inches high, her feet genetically altered by plastic surgery. I wrinkle my nose at her as she clunks over to the other glass ball, the one consisting of over ten-thousand slips with boy's names on them. She puts a finger to her lip as she playfully swishes the papers around for five seconds until I want to break the silence, to shout "HURRY UP ALREADY!"

She extracts one, her very long and green-gold nails clutching it for dear life. She peers at it and yells winningly, "And the other competitor for District Five is… AJ Streaming! Good luck, _and_," she winks at the huge audience as they all chorus, "May the odds EVER be in your favor!"

I nearly faint. AJ. Class clown, favorite of so many. He's done quite well in boxing championships, but failed miserably at computer courses, which we have to excel, being in the techno district. So he's behind two grades, now in my grade. I just turned thirteen. He's sixteen.

AJ scowls at me, yet smiles at the crowd as he walks up. With spiky brown hair and mischievous green eyes, he's immediately a crowd fave, just like at school. Figures. I fumble with a hangnail as he chats with Muff like they're old friends. She, of course, is flattered by whatever he says and places a hand heartily on his shoulder, begging him, just begging to continue whatever he's saying.

Of course, as AJ jokes, I don't hear anything of what he's preaching. My ears are closed. Blocked off.

My mentor comes over, named Syria. I smirk inwardly. I wonder if she's anything like the old country that had so many fights. If that is so, then we might actually have a chance. We haven't won since AJ was born, and that's only because District One's girl fell asleep in water and drowned. Syria did nothing. Didn't kill at all. Maybe now she's different.

"I honestly believe you guys have a chance!" she squeaks at us, and I shudder. Her voice is so high-pitched that I have to hum inside my head when she speaks to try to tone the chipmunk in her down a bit.

We are allowed three minutes of family time. Seeing as I have none, all four of my buds come over and sob with me until the Peacekeepers come and wrench them off of me. My dog, Lovey, comes too, and I hold him until they threaten to put him down if I don't leave him go.

The train pulls up. AJ, Muff, Syria, and I board. Tomorrow we are introduced to our temporary home, prep team, and dresser, whatever that is. _I can hardly wait, _I think sarcastically.


	2. Chapter 2- Thanks A Lot

Chapter Two- Thanks a Lot

After a rather rambunctious day on the train (Don't ask…. It involved me, a hungry old man, and a gallon of grape juice) we arrived in Panem. I watched out the window of my mini-home as color began exploding onto my range of vision. It was magnificent, just fantastic. Sarcastic again. As we pulled up, a long line of people waving signs and holograms and their fists began cheering us. AJ was probably hamming it up, making muscles and blowing kisses. Me? I pulled my shade shut and scowled at the thin ray of light that shone through.

I packed my few clothes and possessions, then stepped into the train hallway bearing the little knapsack. I looked at Syria, who was drinking a tall, crystal glass of white wine. Scowling at her, I asked rather roughly, "Why are you not booing them? They're basically waiting to see me die."

Syria swayed a little, then motioned outside. "Kit, don't you hear the music?" she squeaked a little sloppily at me. I sighed. She would be of no help at all.

I ran into the dining car and asked for a huge mug of creamy soda. The cook, a thin and pale man, handed me one like he had been waiting for me since the year 1928.

I slurped the soda, as much as I could shove into my stomach, and left the train as soon as it stopped. AJ was not far behind. I strode confidently down the stairway, pursued by reporters and plain freaks.

"Kit!"

I went the other way where AJ was calling me.

"We gotta go this way!"

I went that way.

After seeing a large room with multiple computers and fountains and windows, we were brought to our all-lady prep team, who were joking, drinking some smoothies, and sitting by a computer-generated fireplace. When they saw me, one drew in a breath immediately and the other ladies tutted. You know, "Oh, tut, tut, how horrible is she…."

"Wonderful!" a blond lady with an extremely short hemline and random sea creatures woven into her hair squealed as she saw me. But she had tutted at me. I crossed my arms self-consciously and scowled. My puffy ponytail provided no help to me whatsoever.

Where was AJ? Taken to another prep team, probably all man. District Five is extremely squeamish about people under 30 seeing another naked body of the opposite gender. No doubt that these three were under 30, either. With no wrinkles or raspy voices at all, they gave the impression of being robotic, even though kids have facial wrinkles as well. Looked like it, too. One had silvery skin, the blonde's was deep ocean blue, and the last had black-ish skin with little gold designs etched into it.

"Honey?" Mrs. Silver Skin was in front of me, her black hair piled a mile high on her head. "You're gonna get made up, honey, so get undressed."

I scowled as I was made-over. They plucked all the hair but on my head. My legs, arms, and virtually everywhere ached as they slathered on some gel to make my skin shimmer.

Eventually they curled my very straight hair so it looks like my sister's before she died. I could no longer put it in the puffy and bushy ponytail that it was in before. It now was thinner, more vulnerable. My pale skin helps that none, but if my preparatory team thinks it makes me looks more desirable to win over sponsors, I'm there.

It was the day of the tribute's parade, and my outfit they brought out immediately. I immediately shuddered when I see it; I will look like a satellite dish. Maybe that's the idea. I do… _Did_ live in District Five, after all.

I put it on, the hat bending my neck. I tried lifting my head, failing. Eventually I turned to the silver-skinned woman, defeated. My head slumped down, and the lady laughed. Feeling a surge of angry emotion, I tore the stupid had off my head and threw it at her, storming out of the room.

After an hour of sulking around my new bedroom, I decided to head back. After all, the parade was today.

I marched back into the fitting room, and the silver lady placed a new hat on my head. It was glittery and taller. I accepted it without a word, simply stalked out of the room.

I was supposed to go to the chariot parade. Syria met me in my room along with AJ, who had a much heavier hat, and together we walked to a room underground. We were thrown back by the girl from District One and her partner. The girl was pretty; the boy, not so much. Glam and Marble, I think their names were…

We were after District Four, also known as MUCH TOO SOON. We were jerked forward by the chariot's magnetic force, and we came out of the dark.

At first the light dazzled my eyes and all I could do was wave in a daze. By the time my eyes cleared, we were nearly there, and in an instant we were in a large semicircle.

I dared to look behind me. There was a few districts that didn't stand out at all, some kids dressed as farmers, and then District Twelve.

I've never liked District Twelve, and I could tell that my view would not be changed anytime soon. Fake fire caused by faulty electronica wiring in the motherboard was blazing off of capes. They were holding hands and smirked. I could tell that they thought they were superior, that they would win. But something in the girl, maybe a glint in her eye or a spark fallen off her cape, it was something that I feared.

Something that would haunt me for quite a while.


	3. Chapter 3- Interviews Stink

Chapter Three- Interviews Stink

After a few days of training and all that junk, came the day of the interviews. I had been coached multiple times on this, and I was pretty sure that I would still mess up. But whatever. Today is the last day before the actual Hunger Games; I had to enjoy it, as it may have been my last.

My outfit would be the last thing I'd see- and I get to see it at the moment. I inhale sharply when I see it. It's a bright, green-blue color with sparkly stuff with a flowy bottom.

But then I look sorrowfully at the mirrored wall at my hair. Wouldn't it clash? Didn't the idiot hairdressers know that?

I look angrily at Beach Lady with the ocean-blue skin and assorted plastic whales, seahorses, and clams in her hair. "I don't like the dress." Which was actually a lie. The dress is amazing. But coming from District Five, where I can do anything on the computer and look anything up, I know that green and red clash today and go together well tomorrow. But I'm not sure if they do today. I await an explanation.

Beach Woman sighs as she looks at me, pauses, then chooses her words carefully. "Well, aren't you just li'l miss contradictory today?" she says it like you're talking to a toddler who just told their mother that you accidentally stepped on the main power cord.

In response, I cross my arms.

In the end, I decide to wear it after a little talk about how it is the perfect shade of green that it will not clash with red at all (which I think was just made up on the spot) but I relent. After I slip it on with some nice heels, my newly skinny hair is teased up onto my head with the perfect amount falling off. They secure it with some bobby pins.

I get to eat dinner before my interview, and instead of where all the other tributes choose to dine, I decide to eat in my bedroom. I'll be seeing enough of them tomorrow. A black-haired Avox with serious acne carried in my dinner in courses. When I ask what's in the chicken soup because it looks like a potentially life-saving plant that would be in the arena, all she can do is shrug.

My interview is after the District Four's boy. Ugh, a Career. But he actually looks kind of cute if it wasn't for his long neck and paleness. His little curly hair brings to mind that of an ostrich. He smiles a lot, but I can tell that he's weak; he'll be dead on the first day. When they ask his strategy, he hesitates, then tells Caesar shyly, "Hiding." Hiding. I wonder what that means to him.

But then he's over and it's my turn all too soon and I am pushed up onstage by Syria and next thing I know Caesar Flickerman is sitting to my right and people are goggling at me.

"So! Kit," he says it warmly like we're old friends, and I wrinkle my nose, only to immediately straighten my nose again. Cameras are watching, after all. "How does it feel to be picked for the Hunger Games?"

Sly, elusive. Sly, elusive. That's what Syria told me to aim as; apparently I'm already giving off a mysterious aura, and those three traits go hand-in-hand. I say hopefully cheerfully when I'm thinking, "Well… It feels… like a rush of emotions." I hope that was mysterious enough.

Caesar laughs, but his eyes are falling to the floor in despair. Probably because I'm so boring. But I also don't want to be unforgettable; that will come if I win. If I'm forgettable, Cato and Marble and those Careers won't get me. The spotlight is theirs and always has been.

The rest of the interview goes smoothly, and I watch the rest from the comfort of my bedroom. AJ has the crowd in hysterics— he starts off the night with a joke about a chicken who walks into a bar. Districts Six through Ten are boring, though, like mine, I note with some satisfaction. Rue, the girl from Eleven, was unfairly picked, and I predict that she won't make it to see top 20. She has little wings on her dress, and she is kind enough, laughs nervously every so often. Thresh is sure a looker. He mutters 'Yes', 'No', or simply nothing. Forgettable again.

Then is Can't Kiss or whatever her parents named her. She walks confidently in a red dress that comes to her ankle. She says something about lamb stew and then she gets up. I start getting excited. Maybe she's gonna throw a chair offstage, or something! Anything to start a rebellion! My eyes widen and are glued to the screen. What will Katniss- I learned her name from Flickerman- do?

She spins.

I groan out loud, slapping a palm against my face. Fake flames leap out again. I spread my fingers, my hand still over my face, so that I can see her take Caesar's hand and giggle madly. I feel a surge of anger. Why is she so popular just because she has some faulty wiring? I had to go as a satellite dish, for the Lord's sake!

Next is Peepa, I thought his name was, but apparently it's Peeta. He looks so cute, and his eyes are strong and soulful. He's likeable and he jokes a lot with Caesar. They laugh about the showers, which I enjoy laughing at as well. But then Peeta says he has a crush on this one girl and my heart beats. Probably Rue or Clove of Garlic from Two.

"She came here with me." A riddle, eh, Peeta? Hmm…. Yep, Rue. WAIT…. Came here with me, not is here. Drat, Can't Kiss wins again. I scowl in hatred, then turn off the TV in one swift motion. I've decided today that interviews suck.


	4. Chapter 4- Ever In Your Favor

Chapter Four- Ever in Your Favor

I am dressed in the traditional Games outfit and now am standing on my plate, surveying the Cornucopia. I see many good weapons, a tent pack, many foods, water bottles, sleeping bags…

The gong sounds and I'm snapped to reality. I scream inwardly and run away from the curved horn. On the way out, I slink down and grab a water skin, a small green backpack, and a few food packets. Shoving them in my pocket, I run right to the woods and find a small, sharp knife hidden under some fern. I scoop it up and run a good twenty yards in. Suddenly I am face-to-face with Twelve, Can't Kiss. Terrified, I run as few hundred yards away, then scale a tree to watch the bloodbath.

Like I predicted, many are down, but the little Four is in the Cornucopia with a yellow bag. He is crouched low, and many are gone but Cato, who is stabbing an Eight. He begins to flee with his bag when Cato turns on him. I gasp and nearly fall out of the tree. I had to stop predicting. Was Rue dead? I swing back up and my eyes search around the horn. There! She has a rock and she's headed for the forest! I, while the Careers are still getting their junk all set up around dead people, run to the lake and fill the water skin. Then I flee to the opposite side of the lake.

After running for a few hours because of my high stamina, I go into a small cave and look in my pack. I lay out all my stuff to survey it all.

I have a pair of red mittens, the full water skin, a bottle of iodine and an eyedropper, the knife, a small rope, some matches, a compass, and twelve food packets of potatoes, meat, fruit, assorted crap like that. Perfect. I'd have enough food to last four days. I'm surprised that this bounty was so far from the Cornucopia.

I dilute the water and wait the time it takes while jogging away from my cave, all the stuff crammed in my bag. I'm glad it's not—

ORANGE. I see orange! Another tribute! I scramble up a tree instinctively, then peer down apprehensively. It's my little friend Can't Kiss. She's checking the contents of her pack, too. I see a black sleeping bag, crackers, and dried beef. Not much more, as she's turned away from me. My mouth begins to water and I think of my dried potatoes. Yuck.

Katniss is apparently leaning against a tree now, watching out for tributes that may wander along. I climb steadily down.

Once on the ground, I run for another half-hour, heading North, my compass says. My stomach begins rumbling and I scowl, hoping to shut it up. But it's beginning to turn to night. Dinnertime is near. I open my water bottle, take a few large gulps, and pour a little in a packet of beef and peas. I watch as the food puffs up, and try to eat it enjoyably, but it slides down my throat. I put too much water in, and it's cold. Gross.

I'll have to find a nice little sleeping spot. Sleep is dangerous, but I need energy. I find a little bush, make sure it's uninhabited, and try to curl up in sleep in the center, where branches guard anyone who sees me. I have to bend my legs so they don't poke out, and the occasional branch pokes me, but it's at least sort of safe. From there, I watch the anthem and all the dead tributes' pictures. Then it hits me when I see his picture. AJ died. He is _dead_. I outlasted AJ!

Although I'm inwardly celebrating, goose-bumps spread throughout my skin and I shudder. My partner died. I'm alone, even more of an orphan than before. I rub my eyes and try to get some sleep.

I sleep soundly until morning, where a tribute wakes me up. Rue. I rub my eyes, annoyed that my prediction didn't come true, and sit up. I'm only glad that it was a twelve-year-old instead of, say, Clove or Peeta, who could kill by distance or up close.

I watch Rue as she slowly climbs a tree and eats some red berries. I dearly hope they're poisonous. That way, I won't have to kill her. But nope, they're safe, and she plucks more from the tree and nibbles more. After her breakfast, she swings to another tree, then to another. That's probably how she got a 7 in training. I only got a 5, which may or may not be so good.

As she leaves, I dart to the tree and take one off. It looks kind of like a hard cherry, but I pop it in my mouth. I gnash it with my teeth, and a dry, very tart taste fills my mouth. I spit it out, hoping that it wasn't poisonous and the effects aren't long-lasting. I cautiously try another. Maybe it was just unripe. But no, all of them are sour. But I can still see Rue, leaping from tree to tree, and she looks happy enough. Plus, she came from the orchard district. Maybe the bitter taste is a sort of medicine! I bite into a bright red one and rub it where a branch drew blood. All I succeed in is getting a horribly stinging wound. I clench my teeth and look for Rue. I can barely make out her outline, jumping to yet another tree. Finally, I trust her and chew and swallow.

I lean against the rough bark, chewing as fast as I could, knife drawn for defense. I have consumed thirteen when I hear a rustling. Quickly, I grab a handful, skinning them off the branches, and cram them in my pocket when I dash away.

Glancing behind me, I see the boy from ten, the one with a weird leg. He is chewing on some beef strips and looking around furtively. I could pick him off now. He can hardly walk, let alone run. I clutch my knife and begin to head to him but… stop. I'll let nature take care of him. His bad leg is horrible, and his other is severely bleeding and I can see bone stretching across the top of his shin. I bite my lip and shade my eyes from the horrible view. I begin running across the valley.

A few hours away from the leg and the boy, I smell something. Smoke? My nose perks up in the air and I inhale. Yes, it is, but I see no fire. But then something occurs to me- what if it's really a poisonous gas? I dunk the top of my shirt in water and stuff my nose under it so I look down and begin running. My eyes begin watering and I clap my hands over my nose. Ouch, ouch, ouch….

Eventually I find out that I'm running straight into a mass of fire.


	5. Chapter 5- Fire and Tracker Jackers

Chapter Five- Fire and Tracker Jackers

I had walked right into a fire pit.

I perch on the edge, ominously peering down into the smoky cliff. My face burns, but I could not drag my eyes away from the burning, burning trees…

All of a sudden a stray spark flew up the twenty feet that separated me and the bottom. I dodge it easily, but there were more to come. I avoided those, too, but then something occurred to me. The flames are very slowly and very steadily climbing up the cliff's side. Soon it would be up here. I began running.

After several more hours after a dinner of the rest of those berries and a packet of dried peaches , I had just begun to relax in a tree when I smell smoke again. I scowled fearfully. In the distance, I saw a few people fleeing and orange flames licking the ground behind them. That pulls me to my senses. I grab my pack and my water skin, nearly empty, and bolted.

I was lucky. I had a good lead on the fire and I found a very small pond, about the size of three inches deep and a foot across. I dunked my water bottle in it and kept running. On the way that could have been anywhere, my compass began jouncing out of my backpack. I managed to scoop it up before it was left behind. The arrow tells me I was headed north, which was by the Cornucopia. I allow myself fifteen seconds to cram the stuff to the bottom of my pack, including my water bottle, and pull out only the compass and my knife. I have to be ready for any battle that came my way- or rather, I came its way.

Half an hour later, the fire was gone. I could still smell smoke, lingering in the air, but there was not enough to harm me. I continue walking, just in case there was another unpleasant surprise awaiting me. Which there is.

It strikes me when I see it- the Career's camp! It's right by the Cornucopia! And oh, the supplies and bounty that they have! A huge pyramid stocked full of food and weapons and medications and all good things was right beside it, and the Careers are sitting under the tent, laughing as they ate plentifully. My stomach rumbles and I put a hand over it to silence it. I sneak around where their faces were to me. The torches were not around the forest, which I used to my advantage. This way, they'd only see blackness out of the range of light, while I could see what they were doing.

I am maybe fourteen yards away from them. Marvel, his name I learned, is eating apples. Many cores litter the ground beside his chair. Glimmer and Cato, holding hands, are tasting flavored water together, and I remember to drop iodine in my own bottle. I look back at them. I see them eating dinner, joking and discussing new strategies. I see Garlic Clove looking angrily at Glimmer, like she is in love with Cato. Hah. As if! Cato is way too-

Peeta.

I see _Peeta_ _Mellark_, Can't Kiss's little boyfriend or whomever! Why is he here, all innocent, when the Careers, all one step away from murdering, are here as well? My eyes widen as I see him ask Glimmer something. The flirty girl laughs flightily and points to something on the pyramid. Poor Peeta thanks her and walks over there to grab whatever it is he's asking about- a packet of chocolate. He pours it into a water bottle full of steaming water and stirs it. My stomach groans again.

"What was that?" Cato asks loudly, standing up. Glimmer nearly falls over, having have depended on him for support. I snigger, then remember where I am. Quickly I race for the side of the clearing where I came from, hoping that they don't pursue me. AAACK! Here one comes! Feeling very ridiculous, I run for a few hundred feet then scurry up a tree. My eyes glow as I watch the girl from four run after the darkness. She's going completely in the wrong direction. I giggle the smallest bit, maybe one of the only times that I do in the arena.

I decide, since it's a safe distance up and from the Career's camp, to snooze here. I find a smooth fork, curl up into a comfy position, and tie myself here expertly with some ropes. Perfect.

The next morning I dig into my precious food packets- normal, but this time I pull out two. Potato and cheddar and chicken and chives. They taste better than I expected. I'd make a fire if I could to cook them, but it's way too risky. They slither down my throat like savory smoothies.

After I untie myself from a good night's sleep, I look over at the Career camp. Eggs are being cooked in a random pan. A pan! That would be really useful here now. If I was brave enough to make a fire, I'd have hot food, even though I'd have to manually hold it up. I quietly climb down the tree, landing on my feet with a thud, and begin my daily walk. Although here is nice and shady, it's very near to danger.

After just a half-hour I meet up with Katniss, who's soaking her leg in a small grotto. It's burned badly, and she doesn't have correct ointment to fix it. She's sleeping, though. Anyone could kill her now.

My chance to be strong is here. Shakily, I come to her side and pull out my knife. I've just drawn the tip of it around the skin of her neck when I think of something. The force of this notion literally jerks me back.

WHAT THE HECK, KIT? SHE'S A _HUMAN_! YOU CANNOT KILL, EVEN IN THIS HORRIBLE HUNGER GAMES! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF SOMEONE SOMEHOW CAME UP AND MURDERED YOU, EH? GET OFF OF HER, YOU PIECE OF CRAP!

I meekly check her neck, see to it that it's only a small cut, and perch in a tree above her. I can see Rue from here. She's not a very good hider. I also see a tracker jacker nest eighty or so feet above me. I settle down and watch Rue for awhile. She just stares back at me creepily, her brown and soulful eyes never blinking. I take this opportunity to fix my hair, which I'm sure is a mess. If I do win, I shall look good on camera.

After awhile, she begins to trust the fact that I will not attack her and begins eating some purple-ish leaves, also chewing on some of those cherry-things that I choked on this morning. She's still alive, so I know that the things weren't poisonous.

I relaxed for a long while, catching little catnaps here and there, but the biggest shock came when Katniss Everdeen came running form a random direction, panting. I flung myself into the tree parallel to Rue and climbed up to four feet from the top before I looked back at Katniss. She was already on the branch that I was in, sacredly looking down.

I sighed. This was going to be a long night.


	6. Chapter 6- Run

Chapter Six- Run

The Careers arrive at the base of Katniss's tree and I want to smack her. CAN'T KISS! MAN, ARE YOU OBVIOUS!

I watch as the big-boned one, Cato, climbs the tree with a sword, falls, and shouts swears up at my little friend. I see Rue, the top of her afro poking out of a tree branch. She and Katniss would be good friends- both small, obvious, and way too happy. Hamming it up for the crowd like my tribute partner.

AJ. His name brings tears to my eyes, and I angrily swipe them away. Why am I angry about his death? I hated AJ! He was sooooo irresponsible and overconfident. He loathed me as well. I think. But I guess I'll never know, because he's dead.

Glimmer tries to climb the tree, but she's obviously slow and too heavy, although skinny and pretty. She shoots an arrow from a shiny bow up to Katniss, but misses by a foot. She shot it too high. I feel like shaking Glimmer, yelling that she should have aimed lower.

Why am I so angry all of a sudden? I'm not bipolar, not an angry type of person. But ever since I came into the arena, I am much more susceptible to seething. And man, do I ever have reason to be hot under the collar. I'm in a death pit, after all.

While Katniss is arguing with the Careers, I decide to have a snack. I pour water into a potato and chives packet, count the remaining packets (six) and slowly eat it to make it last longer. It's probably the best one I've had so far, because I'm eating it so slowly, giving off the impression to my stomach that there's a lot. It still is watery and slides down my throat like all the others, but I promise myself that if I find a deep cave, I will make a fire and indulge. Maybe that will make them taste better, along with the fact that I haven't had anything warm to eat for a long while.

Eventually, with a suggestion from Mellark, the group decides to camp out under the tree. I wait until it grows dimmer until I begin to comfortably climb higher and sleep in the tree. But hark! Action for Katniss! She's received a silver parachute! Enviously, I watch her as she spreads something over her leg. I wonder how many she's gotten. I sure wouldn't want to be a sponsor for her. She's, like I said before, not a good contender.

Hark again! I see Rue's arm, reaching across her branch, pointing to the nest of muttations. Katniss looks up and I slap my hand on my forehead. Lord, help me. HOW did she not notice that on her way up, and Rue just happens to point it out? Yep, I knew it. Yes, sir. They are a perfect team.

The anthem begins to play, and the Careers have fallen asleep. I know they carry so much good food and supplies. I may as well steal a little. They sure have plenty.

I sneak down the tree only to see Katniss cutting the branch that holds the insects. I have to move fast. I run to Cato's pack first and retrieve a few food packets, some sunglasses, and extra mittens. Clove has only some strips of turkey jerky and a small lighter. I take half of the meat and leave the lighter; I have matches to help me build a fire. Glimmer, a hat, some sort of first aid kit, and more packets. The bow and arrows tempt me, but I leave them. Marvel, a couple apples. The other girl has only a fanny pack, and no way am I going to try to rob her from there.

Giddily I leap up my tree. I immediately crunch into a bright red apple just as the anthem stops playing. My stomach will be satisfied, even if only for a minute. I put the rest of the food in my pack along with the kit, but I put on the glasses, hat, and mittens. What I see surprises me. These glasses are letting me see everything in the night, from a squirrel darting up the tree to Rue in the distance to Katniss falling asleep. Which reminds me. I'd better get some more sleep as well. I climb a bit higher, so the view of me is guarded by pine needles, wrap the rope around me, and fall asleep.

The next morning I awaken to the sound of sawing. I sleepily climb down a few branches so that I can see Can't Kiss, her knee swelling from a sting. The nest falls! My heart is in my throat as I watch the Careers get roused from their sleep to see the mad insects. Shrieks arise, and I find that one has stung me on the elbow. Clenching my teeth in pain, I pull the stinger out and root around in the medical kit for anything that can save me from the muttations. Nope. I rub some burn ointment on my arm, hoping it'll do the trick, and go back to watching the fury unleash below.

Cato, Peeta, Marvel, and Clove have disappeared. Girl from 4 is stumbling away, her body swollen, and Glimmer's twitching on the ground. I force myself to turn away, but when I see Katniss clamber down the tree, I have to watch. The girl wrenches the bow away and Glimmer's cannon fires. The other girl's comes right after Katniss steals the arrows and begins swaying as she walks into a pit of leaves. I slide down the tree as I grab Glimmer's pack, but cannot get the earmuffs she wears because her hovercraft's towering over my head. I scurry back into the tree. Glimmer's pack contains only a few more packets and some dead tracker jackers. It's singed, so I throw it into a pond as I walk along, looking for something to help my stings.

I hope this will work. If not, I'll look like a fool. I stare at the sky and say in a gravelly voice, "M-Medication?" I hope that my face isn't too damaged.

After waiting, I sigh. They must have not gotten it. But I can't continue. My elbow is like a flaming baby, burning and susceptible to any disease now. Clenching my teeth again, I shakily take rest on a small cliff perch that I climbed onto from a tree, fifty feet up. It's about ten by twenty, in the case of feet. I set my bag down and decide to make a small fire for breakfast.

I collect some twigs from what I can reach with my good right arm. My left is stinging too badly to move. I throw the twigs some feet from me and strike a match. I saw off a slightly bigger piece of wood when the kindling and leaves catch fire, hoping that this will provide some warmth and comfort.

I pull out a food packet when I notice something shiny hooked onto a branch. I lean over and grab it, eager to see what's inside. It's a little ceramic pot full of some blue gel. I swipe some over my sting and sigh in relief. Over a period of hours, I apply the saving gel until I have half left and my swelling has gone down considerably. I fold the parachute up and throw it into my bag. Then I turn to the fire. I'll have a little feast of food packets. I take two that I think will taste best, filet mignon with vegetables and creamy orange whip. First the beef. I rip the little package open, add water, and hold it above the fire until my arm aches and feels too hot.

I eagerly peer inside. My stomach growls. The beef has puffed to its original form, as have the carrots, onions, garlics, and peas! I pour a little into my mouth. The sauce, the meat, the spices overwhelm my mouth. I actually have to chew the food in order to digest it, too! It's a pleasant change after not chewing for so long. I down the rest over some hours, considering the amount in there. Although it's the size of a chicken egg, it seems like so much to me.

The orange whip tastes amazing too. I slurp it up and then go to sit by the fire. All of a sudden, my stomach quakes and I clutch my mouth. No. I will not vomit. I will save this food. I manage to keep most of it down, firmly holding my mouth after I throw up the first time. But my stomach is still quaky, and I have nothing to put out the fire. So I sit on my ledge, holding my belly, and shakily inhaling and exhaling.


	7. Chapter 7- Peeta and Thresh

Chapter Seven- Peeta and Thresh

I had just woken up the next morning when I discovered somebody under my rock, moaning. I couldn't see anyone for a fifty-yard radius, so I peeked my head under the cliff to check whom it was.

It was Peeta, Peeta Mellark.

I gasp. Wasn't he supposed to be in love with that evil Katniss? Together, maybe snuggling high in a tree? Fixing her stings, apologizing for being with the Careers? Not here, obviously hurt in some way. I shyly make my way down, knife bared. Peeta groans as he sees me.

"No, no, p-please, no…." he seems to be begging. I cock an eyebrow at him, suggesting that he explain himself. "Cato sliced my leg open," he spits out, pain etched obviously out in his face. Peeta swallows as I size him up. His leg is orangey colored from pus and blood blending together. It's cut down to the bone and is opening up, a gaping hole that you could fit your hands in. Muscle quivers in the warm air, and I'm forced to look back up at his face.

I exhale, and he looks at me with his big baby blue eyes, pleading not to hurt him. And how can I resist? ... Plus, the very notion of killing makes me queasy. I inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, until I'm sure that seeing the wound won't make me hyperventilate. I watch Peeta's expression when I finally turn back. He's smirking a bit, and his smile makes me so infuriated that I'm straddling him, forcing him down, and jabbing a knife into his throat. But he's still chuckling.

"What you laughing at?" I snarl. His eyebrows go up.

"I thought that you weren't gonna talk to me," he said.

My eyebrows rose as I jabbed the knife blade (it was turned on its side) onto his windpipe, and he gags. I'm about to swear and drive the blade deep into his neck when I hear a voice calling out, "Clove? Clove?"

It's Cato. I don't have time to kill Peeta. I scowl at him and scurry up my stone, peeking down to watch the scene unfold.

Peeta is in distress, frantically trying to pull away from Cato's death grip. Cato's mumbling about how slow he's gonna draw this out for the audience, slowly cutting his chest open and yanking out one heartstring at a time, when Clove of Garlic's voice comes crashing through the woods like a heavy mammoth. "Cato! Cato! Help me!" she screams. That's followed by wheezing, and Cato literally drops Peeta and runs off into the wooded forest.

I sink my teeth into a bruised apple as I shimmy down, my pack and knife with me. Peeta's gone off somewhere, probably hidden in a tree with his partner. I sigh and scan the high, leafy areas. Nothing. But I can tell that he's under the cliff when I hear a gulp. I whirl around and growl at him, "Just this time, but don't tell anyone else about this or you're dead, boy, you hear? DEAD!" Peeta shrinks back. I know that he'll die soon, as Katniss doesn't come to his rescue. Rather happily, I blow a snarky kiss his way and continue on my trek.

I travel only half the day when I come to a golden yellow wheat field. I halt, searching it for potential predators. But nope. I choose to venture there, knowing that the Careers won't come in here and besides, if I stay close enough to the edge, no landslides or anything of that sort will kick me out. I maybe can harvest some and eat it raw, or blend it somehow to make uncooked bread.

I walk into the field for what seems like forever, trying to find a clearing. Finally I spot one, but it's, erm, uh, kinda, sorta….. occupied.

I see Thresh, his muscular body guarding a fire and facing me. He's picking bits of meat off of a stick and smacking his lips as he devours it. My stomach rumbles. In my tussle with Peeta, Rue must have stolen most of my food, the little devil. All I have left are two little food packets. Or a bird took them, but Rue is a bigger possibility. She could have stepped down from a branch, grabbed them, and swung to another tree easily. I hate her for that.

I could make allies with Thresh. He's got few supplies but a ton of food, and I'm the opposite; ton of supplies with little food. He has a yellow messenger bag open to what I can see to be a small pad of paper (for starting fires, probably), a black blanket, two spearheads, a large grey and purple stone the size of my forearm, and an almost empty box of matches, I can see from here. His food, in a bag, is open as well. Many pieces of game lie here. Rabbits, snakes, gophers. A loaf of grainy bread and some smaller fish. A jar of either honey or yellow jelly. Some bags full of potatoes and tomatoes.

It's tempting to ally with Thresh, but he may as well give me a spearhead in my throat before I pair up with him.

Then I see his wounds. His burns on his strong arms and chest and legs and feet, still inflamed, and blood drips from the back of his leg. I can tell from a little heap around his brown foot. My hand flies to my backpack. We could share, split the goods and be happy in this wheat field until we are forced to turn on each other. I decide to take a chance.

I tentatively step forward from my wheat field position. I put my hands near my shoulders defensively as I speak quickly, "I don't want to hurt you. Although you might not want to, I want to be your ally. I have m-medicine-" I mentally slap myself for faltering, showing weakness- "to fix your wounds."

Thresh sizes me up calmly. His golden-yellow-amber eyes scan my skinny body, my reed hair that floats around my shoulders. He sighs inwardly. Finally he looks skyward and stands up.

"Kit, fox girl. I do not trust you." Crap. "But I will ally if you prove yourself to be trustworthy, and most of all, _don't kill me."_ Ha, ha! Thresh humor! But I can just _feel_ the cameras training in on my expression, craning for a glimpse of my features. "You said you have meds. Where are they?" he asks gruffly. I fumble in my backpack for the little pot of medicine and handed it to him. He smeared the ointment over his burns and they hissed as they worked to heal them. His pokerface was looking at mine, and I wanted to yell out what was he looking at.

Eventually his face showed emotion. He offered me some rabbit to eat, and I took it cautiously. He had speared it and skinned it on a long, wooden stick and it was blackened around some edges from the fire. I tentatively tried it. It was just as good as the food packet. I ate all of it without any more doubts.

Thresh faced me after about an hour of warming ourselves by the fire, under the shade of a mangrove tree (which I thought was odd; didn't they only grow in wetlands?). "So," he said roughly. "I guess I owe you for the meds." I thought it was kind of cute how he said meds instead of medication or medicine.

"Y-you did! With the, um, rabbit!" I protested. He had to know that I was not weak, that I was just shy.

Thresh studied my amber eyes and finally nodded, kind of sadly. Thresh was a deep type of guy. Some guy that I'd like to get to know better, if that didn't sound too sappy.

"So what's life like back in 11?" I asked cautiously. I could see something stir inside of him, and his nostrils flared the tiniest bit.

"It was horrible, fox girl. I had so little, and I was treated basically like the crops- examined every few months and processed. You know, from the Peacekeepers. They give us showers, but we have to go on a conveyor belt. It's like, a, a train wash." My eyes widened.

"They really treat you like that?"

"Just the males. I don't know about the girls."

The conversation continued until nightfall, where I slept in the safety of the fire under the mangrove, happy with my new ally.


	8. Chapter 8- Only One Can Win

Chapter Eight- Only One Can Win

The sound of bird cawing in the distance awakens me. I'm jolted up and I watch as Thresh is silently stalking them, then leaps up and grabs hold of them, jabbing a spearhead through the throats, killing them immediately. Strength. He could have killed them with his bare hands, but I bet he thinks that would be too cruel.

Next, he's got three kills and he brings them to the fire, plucks the feathers off, cuts the heads off with the spearheads, and spears them on sticks. He puts the sticks on spits, one at a time, until they appear perfect, blackened around the edges and glistening with juicy tastefulness. But then he squeezes half a lemon over the birds and I'm positively drooling. I haven't had anything good to eat since, well, yesterday. But I'm hungry. Thresh roasts and flavors the other birds, then eats one of them. Juice spurts out of the bird and he nods in appreciation. I can't stand it. I noisily walk over to him, then sit on the opposite side of the fire.

"Morning!" I try to say cheerfully. Thresh eyes me up.

"Want a bird?"

I would have put it somehow different, but who cares. I nod and he hands me one. I sink my teeth into it and gasp. It's the best thing I've tasted. Back home, meat was a rarity, as was sour fruits. This soaks my tongue with meat that may be chicken and lemons, yum. I devour it until I'm nearly full. Thresh eyes me up.

"Are you gonna want the other bird?" He's bigger than me and probably hungrier, too. I shake my head.

After he's polished off the duck or goose or sparrow or whatever chicken bird it was, he decides to talk with me. But he's suspicious. "Why did you decide to ally with me?" he demands, voice booming.

"You seem smarter than anyone here," I say quietly.

Thresh's face shows no emotion but I can see the smallest bit of blushing on his cheeks. He then asks why nobody's attempted to kill me, because I have no wounds. I shrug.

"I've only tried to kill Mellark," I respond rather indifferently. He looks at me funnily.

"I didn't think you tried to kill anyone at all. Why?"

"He's an annoying piece of crud." My face is now frowning. I didn't mean that; Peeta's very, very likable and kind of VERY cute, but I want Thresh to trust me.

"That's a good reason," Thresh says grimly.

I nod. "I wonder where everyone else is now…" my eyes go glassy. I shake myself off when he asks, "Did you know they're calling you Foxface?"

"FOXFACE?" I squeal. I clap my hands over my mouth as I say quieter, "Really?"

Thresh nods grimly. "Katniss is not the quietest. Whenever I go into the forest to look for other food, I always run into her. She gave me a bee sting," he explained, pointing to his ankle, where a gash was, "but I got meds from my sponsors."

"I see," I respond.

"Yep," he says awkwardly. We sat around the fire for awhile until I try to ignite the conversation again. "So, it was pretty smart that you'd hide in a wheat field. You know, being from 11 and all." Thresh nods a lot awkwardly.

"You'd hide in a computer lab if you could," he says. I nod as well.

"What's it like in District Five, fox girl?" he asks.

"Well," I say, thinking, "first, when we get up, we check into our 'lives' by computer. Then we order our breakfast- we can have a choice of three-"

"What are they?" Thresh asks.

"Hard-boiled egg with rice, corn on the cob with a slice of cheddar cheese, or oats with honey. The drinks are water or watered-down orange-cranberry juice."

"That sounds like heaven compared to 11," Thresh mumbles. "We have either a scoop of oats or half a scrambled egg, and they both have way too much salt. The drink is nutrient water which tastes really bad. The only decent lunch we get is groosling, and that doesn't come around often."

"What's groosling?"

"It's a bird, like the type I just caught. These were really small or something, because normally they're the size of- of your head," he says, for lack of a better example, "and they have fat in them that tastes like nothing better. We harvest lemons in our district, and along with the meds came three of them, with a note from my mother. That," he says, his eyes sparkling like diamonds, "was the best sponsor gift I've gotten. She said that my brothers miss me, and they each donated a lemon for me."

"That's so nice," I whisper softly.

Thresh suddenly becomes aware of how I was there. "Only one of us can win, though, you know," he says sadly. Maybe he's become attached to me? My heart flutters. I sigh and nod, trying to look not vulnerable, but just a bit so he can see how feminine I am.

"I wonder why they created the Games," I say dreamily, looking sideways at the tall boy across from me.

"To make us hate them all," he says airily, applying more 'meds' to his burns.

"You sure got that right," I laugh, leaning against a log. Thresh was so easy to talk to. He had most of the same views that I did. I sigh as I watch grey clouds come in. Thresh notices my look and looks at the sky as well.

"It doesn't look good out," I say, referring to the ominous sky.

"Sure doesn't. Maybe we should move to higher ground," he says. "It'll probably be a landslide, one like the one that wiped out that one cannibal, Titus."

"That Hunger Games was just freaky," I shiver. I remember all of the blood. When he ate the girl from 6 was particularly scary, because she was still alive when he cut her chest open. She died when he pulled her heart out. But she was screaming until the end. It was life scarring.

"Should I pack up our things?" Thresh asks. Our. That word is magical, I think.

"S-Sure," I say as soon as I realize I'm zoning out and he's giving me a weird look.

He picks everything up and starts walking. It took him ten seconds! I scramble to get up and follow him. What the heck? He left me! HE LEFT ME. This might not work out as I had hoped.

Thresh is walking fast, but not quick enough. The rain begins to fall fast and hard. I begin running after him, but he's really fast. I wind up gasping for breath as I run out of the wheat field and up a tree. I scan the area for the tall dude, but he's long gone. I sigh. Dang it! I thought I had a good ally in Thresh. Apparently not. At least I stole a rabbit from his bag in case we were separated. But I never expected this. He left me!

I attempt in vain to cover myself up with my hands, but to my chagrin, water still seeps through my fingers. I moan quietly so nobody can hear me but the raindrops that insist on wetting my hair. Thresh, Thresh, where are you?

Eventually the rain subsides, just the smallest bit, I scampered down the tree and ran smack dab into…. The Career's camp.

But I didn't run from them. I ran to them. They were under a tent. I made my way under the Cornucopia, which was behind them. Clove was laughing at something Marvel said, and Cato was polishing a sword. Surprisingly, there's a boy not from One or Two. He is flirting with Clove, but she's too interested in Marvel's joke. Whatever. I went to the very back of the horn to shield myself from the rain. Back there was some stuff that the Careers threw away, thinking it unusable. A small red towel, a little silver shovel. Some old bacon, which I devour. It leaves a burnt taste in the back of my mouth, but it tastes of home, when we had meat. When my parents were still alive, they'd buy this in bulk while the stores still had them. I miss those days still now.

Thresh. The name runs over in my mind, and I silently sob. The Careers hear something in the woods and run to it. They tell the other boy to stay put, I tell from his anguished expression. But he does, and I look wistfully at the pyramid. All that good food and supplies. But why isn't it guarded with the highest of guarders?

I maneuver my way to the front of the shiny mouth and pick up a pebble. Huh. Seems harmless enough. But I suddenly toss it. Maybe I'll get poisoned, or caught in a tangled web. But all that happens is the rock bounces, bounces, bounces over to the stack of things… and explodes.

I'm thrown back into the glowing structure, and the 'Career' scurries over to look at the damage. He seems not too upset, though, because he just lets out a big sigh and shakes his head.

Then when he goes back, I hurry over to the pyramid hurriedly. Maybe, just maybe, there's a way that I can find out, like a pattern that won't explode! One that will allow me to get to the pyramid without dying. I look for raised areas of ground. No, I'll have to get level with the dirt. I lower my head and watch the pattern closely. It looks like it's a simple computer pattern. I follow that.

Now is the time to go up the hill to get to the supplies. I take a deep breath and begin.


	9. Chapter 9- Katniss

Chapter Nine- Katniss…

**A/N- This is where the Hunger Games go wrong. Does NOT relate to the story anymore. **

Well, needless to say, I got up the pyramid and stole a tiny pan the size of my hand, a thin flannel blanket, and a warm woolen hat. Along with a few apples, a handful of chestnuts, and a yoghurt, which I ate immediately. Didn't want it to get any staler.

I had to leave, but it was raining so hard. Why should I leave? Oh, yeah. The Careers would kill me, literally, if they saw me. I packed my junk in my bag, minus the hat and a chestnut, which I rolled around in my hand of nervousness. I darted silently in front of the pyramid and just made it into the woods before Clove, Cato, and Marvel boisterously arrived back. They had knives that were dripping red. Another kill. But who? No cannon fired. I heard a scream and thought, wait and see. Now one did. I bit my lip as I rushed over, determined to see whose cannon it was.

My heart saddened when I saw that it was Rue. Just a tiny bit. Her afro was wet from a stream she lie next to, and her chest was bleeding severely. A spear also stuck out of her stomach. Rue. She was only twelve, why did she have to be in the Games? WHY? I shouted inside my mind. Sure, she irked me, but that didn't mean that she wasn't smart, a good contender. Unlike me, she tried. I just stole from people and tried to be clever to get sponsors.

Sponsors? I don't need sponsors! Look how I'm making out! I grab Rue's full bag, take one last look at her, surrounded by some wild violets, and bolt for shelter.

I find some in a tiny cave. It's about five feet deep in, and it's about nine wide. The opening is two feet wide, but it has an obscured view. In here, I can wait and watch until sponsors give me a gift or my supply runs low. Or, of course, I win.

Perfect. I wait until nightfall, etching out drawings on the walls with a piece of charcoal from a very old and cold fire. It keeps me entertained, at the very least. At night, I indulge in an apple and a chestnut for dinner. Mm. It fills me up, and I'm warm. A bonus. And nearly completely safe, too, if I count that. I snuggle up to my blanket and fall asleep.

The next morning, I'm awoken by the sound of mockingjays chirping out a cheerful tune. At least one tribute's happy today. Ha. I wish I could say the same for me, but what's to be cheerful about when you're stuck in a death trap with no way out?

I eat four large chestnuts, saving my food packets for later. My ribs are beginning to show, but no serious injuries so far. I just hope that I will not die of starvation. Now that would really stink. Escaping all the predators and Gamemaker's natural disasters, but getting killed by lack of safe, filling food. That… would stink.

I sniff in fresh, cold morning air. Last night, Rue was in the sky. Who would be in it today? Katniss, Peeta, Cato, Thresh, Clove, Marvel, me, or a combination of all people. I sure hope not me. I still want to go home. I want to see my dog, Lovey again. I want to see my four friends again. I want to go live in the Victor's Village. I want to survive.

Should I walk out? Maybe. My food supply is a small rabbit, an apple, a few chestnuts, and two food packets. Lunch will be an apple, dinner a food packet, hopefully over a fire. Delicious.

I stroll outside. The air chills my bones, and the clouds are ominous but not raining. Greyish black. The color of all my clothing at home but my Reaping dress and shoes, which are a navy blue with silver buttons. Greyish black. The color of the porridge, dyed to remind us of the Capitol. Greyish black.

What if it was me and Thresh left? The idea chills my skin as I climb noisily into a tree. I sit on a fork, my legs clutched up to my chest. Would I have the strength to kill him? I was scared when I tried to kill Peeta- sweet, innocent Peeta. Thresh would be harder. Older, stronger Thresh. I'm scared. He could kill me with a tug of his arm. I… if he was pinned to the ground and severely bleeding and dying, I'd hardly be able to kill him with the sharpest ax in the world.

I can see the beginning of an orangey pink sunrise in the distance, off in the east. Stripes of pastels. I clutch my legs for warmth and shiver.

Today, something bad will happen, I just know it. Maybe deaths, maybe floods. But something bad. I go back to my cave. Hungry. I'm so hungry. I sorrowfully polish off the chestnuts. I have a rabbit that will start stinking soon, a piece of rotten yellow fruit, and some food packets. Rue stole mine, but she died.

She died! And I have her backpack! I split it open, eager to peek inside…

Oh, Rue. She has so much clutter in here. Those cherry things lie rotten at the bottom. Bits of paper and wire. A little slingshot. Two full water skins. One piece of fabric from a torn jacket. Some random piece of wood. Charcoal. Dirty oranges, opened and gross. Some roots and leaves, enough to make a salad. A container full of yellow-red berries. Oh, Rue. Why, oh, why did she have to be in the Games?

I put away the food except for a cherry thing. I pop the sour fruit in my mouth as I sling my heavier pack over my shoulder. I'll have to get another bigger one soon. I gulp down half my water bottle, one of Rue's, and begin slinking around.

It takes me about five seconds to find Katniss and Peeta. They're on a flood plain, by the river. Peeta is groaning loudly, and Katniss is fluttering over him like he may die this very second. His wound is pretty much the same, only pus is dripping out rapidly. And Can't Kiss is here.

I see a silver parachute come floating down behind them. I make a mad grab for it. Mine! But inside is just a syringe and a little roll of bandages. I roll my eyes. Whoops, sorry, Peeta. I guess you won't be getting better soon…

"Where's a parachute from Haymitch?" Peeta wonders aloud. "He should have sent something by now. He's probably too drunk to care, though…"

"Oh, Peeta!" Katniss's voice is impatient. "He'll, uh, send us something. He likes you. Hates me, but we're 12! We matter to him!"

"As if," Peeta grumbles.

I decide to perch in a mangrove tree. Katniss has no weapons, and Peeta has a small spear. None of them are compatible with that thing. I decide once Katniss leaves to hunt, I'll grab it. Stick it in her back. Peeta… will die without his 'meds'.

Katniss takes Peeta's hands and soon, they're lovebirds in the middle of a make-out session. I slink down, grab the white spear, and shove it in the back of Katniss's neck. She makes a gurgling sound, falls to the ground, and soon, Peeta and me are left. We stare at each other.

"You killed Katniss," he said, disbelieving.

"No," I said shakily. Stupid Hunger Games, they turned me into a monster. I shake my head frantically. "The cannon-"

The cannon sounded. Stupid Katniss was dead. I swallowed.

"Are you gonna kill me now?" Peeta asks sadly. He points to his leg. "I'm in jolly good condition for you to do it." He bends his head in defeat, closing his eyes. I raise my knife, the spear lodged in Katniss's neck. But then I lower it. I can't do this.

Instead, I grab Katniss's pack and run silently off. I look back after a thousand feet of going uphill. Peeta's in the same position. Dead and cold to the world. I throw the syringe at him, knowing I'll miss. But Peeta might not. He's survived so far. I could, if I wanted, to heal him. But I don't want to, at least not in the Games. I couldn't.

I run to the wheat field, then navigate almost expertly, to Thresh's little clearing. A fire is still burning. I wait here a few hours for Thresh when I hear shouts and screams of a girl. Let's see… Me and Clove are the only girls left, so it must be her! And a crack of branches… Oh, crud! I hear a cannon! Now another! Two must be battling it out now, if Cato and Marvel are fighting as well! THRESH! I need to save him!

I run over to the direction of the noise, and a bloodied Marvel lies on the ground. I see a blur of colored flesh. Thresh is alive. But who else, Clove or Cato?

I fumble for my knife and throw it. I see a spurt of blood. Did I hit Thresh? CRAP! No, I hit…


	10. Chapter 10- Finale Moments

Chapter Ten- Finale Moments

I HIT CLOVE. She's alive and well, but bruised. Cato's still up, so it must have been Peeta who died. But who by? Maybe he drowned himself. Or he found the syringe and stuck it in his neck to commit suicide. He was well enough when I found him, he doesn't just die on his own. Suicide was what killed him. I have a feeling that this will be the last day. Oh, poor, poor Peeta…

I race over and lunge another knife, this time to Cato. It hits him on the shoulder, higher than where I was aiming. But as he tries to staunch the blood, I punch his jaw and fumble for a new weapon.

"HEY!" Clove's storming over quickly, pursued by Thresh. His head is bleeding, and he's limping, but he _has_ to live. He _has_ to.

My fingers find a knife, and I plunge it deep into Clove's neck. She gags, pulls it out, and sinks to the ground. She squirms on the ground, finally drowning in her own blood. Her cannon booms.

It's me, Thresh, and Cato. Who will win? I grab the knife from Clove's hand and etch a pattern on Cato's arm as he quibbles with Thresh. They're talking now, with just hand-to-hand combat. I want Cato to fall, Thresh and me to be victors. But that cannot happen. I'll let them figure it out. If Thresh and me are left standing… No. And me and Cato? I could bring myself to kill him, maybe. Maybe not. But I do know that I couldn't kill Thresh, even hurt him. Not even to help him. I run away from the fight. A couple of minutes later, when I'm running, a cannon booms. I squeal. I'm in the top two!

I decide to find a nice spot for the remainder of the Hunger Games in my cave, but do you think I could find it? Nope. So I just take refuge in a little forest I find around the field. I snuggle up to the tree. It's now lunchtime, so I eat my rabbit raw, pulling chunks of fur out of my mouth. Yucky.

I wait until night, then climb higher. The anthem begins to play. I face the sky. Now is the time to see whether I should be afraid of Cato or relaxed, Thresh is still alive. I'm hoping for the latter.

First was Katniss. Easy, I remember her killing. Me. Next is Peeta. I swallow. Oh, Peeta…

After the 12 duo, I see Clove's smirking face, then Marvel's handsome one. Now is the time. My eyes widen after Marvel to see…

Thresh.

My ally is dead, I have to fear Cato. I hug my knees to my chest. Swallow. Inhale. Thresh. My eyes start watering, so I dump some water in my second-to-last food packet and eat it. Anything to get my mind off of Thresh, my friend. Who was murdered by Cato.

No! Bad thought, bad thought. I push that out of my mind. No. I don't have to think about him. Think about how Cato is going down. How I'll be back in the Victor's Village of District Five before I know it. Eating like a queen, fried rice and sweet sauces and candied fruits and delicious sorts of food like that, where I won't think twice when I receive golden earrings from the Capitol, a gift for every living tribute's birthday. Males receive little trinkets such as necklaces or pure silver nail files.

I swallow, my mouth dry. Cato will be on my heels, seeing me only as one more obstacle before he goes home. But I'll fight back. No doubt he's wounded, Thresh being strong, but he'll now be just a little over my size. Able to defeat me by strength, but certainly not in the logic department.

Too afraid to go asleep, I mess with the rope that was given in my pack and tie the simplest snare I can think of. It will hang Cato by one leg, then I position a knife to where I estimate his throat to be. When activated, it will swing out. Plus, if I'm caught, I'm too short to set it off. It'll go under my head.

I anxiously wait until the crack of dawn for Cato, but he doesn't come, and I'm getting very sleepy. Then I'm kicking myself, because he probably slept soundly, knowing that I wouldn't dare come near him. Crap, crap, crap!

I watch the ground below sleepily. I can't afford to come down. Cato may as well be waiting under the tree, in a bush. I remember my first night, when I slept in a bush. This Hunger Games is relatively short, compared to the others. I rip open the food packet (beef, peas, and carrots) and pour the rest of my second-to-last water bottle in it. It's cold and gross, but I gulp it down anyways. It feels like sawdust in my mouth. I gag on the last bit as it goes down. Gross.

I rake through my hair with my dirty fingers when I see black goop under my nails. I'm not a priss about my looks like some people, but I still hate being unclean. I scrape most of it out and decide to take a bath.

I climb slowly down the tree when I see a little spring. Too easy, I think. I can't bathe in it, though. Maybe the Gamemakers put chemicals in it, and I sure can't purify all of it with my iodine bottle. I do fill my water bottle, though, and drop some of the cleansing liquid in it. From my other bottle I gulp down all of it and fill that one too. Cato, I'm coming for you.

I hold my other knife and slink through the trees, just waiting for a movement that means food or my enemy— I mean victim. I don't wanna do this, but otherwise, it'll mean certain death.

I go to the wheat field silently, where I saw them last. Dried blood is on the dusty ground, Thresh's bag of meat emptied. A smoldering fire is here, charred squirrels carelessly dumped in the fire. Three, four, five. Cato must be so confident that he's leaving five meals behind. I gobble down half of one. It's burnt but food. I stuff another in my bag after dusting off the ashes and black fur.

I follow some faint footprints to a berry thicket. They look appetizing. I reach for one, pluck it, but then stop. They have an odd shape. Flashback, the training center. These are Deathe's Blackberries, aka nightlock. They'll kill once you taste their sweet flavor. I throw it in a nearby river. NO. Maybe, if Cato's in here, he'll try some. I toss a few in my pocket. Cato, I'm coming for you… again.

I skulk through the beckoning berry bushes. I see some matted grass. A pack, thoroughly torn. Nothing but some swords and meds in there. Fresh blood on the silky ground, I can tell from running my finger over the top of it. I wipe it on my jeans and plod on.

Further into the prickly thicket, I smell rusty blood. I pinch my nose shut, disgusted, when I see Cato.

He's rocking back and forth, his face contorted in pain. His nose is crinkled up, his mouth blood red, and I see a gush of blood coming from his chest. A broken knife blade is laying on the ground beside him. His waist is being cut by a rope, a silver one. He sees me through his eyes, now slits, and throws the blade weakly. I shake my head sadly.

"Sorry, Cato." I pick up the knife blade and his eyes widen in fear— or pain. I shove the knife into the jugular of his neck. A few seconds later, his cannon booms. I have won the 74th annual Hunger Games using my wits and luck.


	11. Chapter 11- Another Crappy Interview

Chapter Eleven- Another Crappy Interview

The hovercraft ladder drifts down, and I grab it willingly. I make my eyes go down, so when I freeze, I see the arena. And I do. I see the wheat field, many rivers, the shining Cornucopia, a rocky area covered in red blood, and the cave where I spent my last morning in. I am lifted up, and immediately I am given a glass of reddish juice. I wrinkle my nose. It reminds me too much of blood. I shake my head, try to speak. But it seems my vocal chords have frozen, and all I can manage is a croak, even though I spoke to Cato not a minute ago.

They give me numerous shots, and the last one I remember makes me drift into a coma.

When I wake up, I am naked. I scowl at my lack of clothing and struggle to get out of bed. I see a dark-skinned Avox girl and ask her for some food. She goes away, and a few minutes later, brings back a red tray with a black plate. It contains a buttered roll, a small dish of applesauce, and a glass of pinkish water. I wolf it down hungrily, but leave almost all of the roll and half the water. My stomach feels about to barf it all up, and I clutch my it dramatically.

After another day of some surgery on my fingers and legs, I am back with my "amazing" preparatory team. They are gentler this time, using softer touches and better equipment. Of course, they blab on only about themselves, but still. They are making an effort.

A few tints of makeup and shades and hues of hair dye later, I still look stunning. Placed in a ravishing red strapless dress that goes a few inches above my knees with matching two-inch heels and hoop earrings, I look pretty good. Syria congratulates me, but all I hear are my ears ringing.

Then I think, _Flickerman. He hosts yet another interview with me. I don't want him to, but nobody listens. I'm put into a golden and red chair, a crown placed on my head. Beautiful. The first question is thrown at me, me being unprepared for this._

"_We saw some lovey-dovey action going on in the arena between you and Thresh," Caesar says, his bleached teeth glistening. "Explain?"_

_I scowl at him. "No 'lovey-dovey' action was in the arena at all, except with Peeta and Can't Kiss," I say furiously. _

"_Katniss," he begins, but I cut him off._

"_I know what I said!" _

_The crowd roars in laughter. I can imagine Katniss's family back home. A little sister, cat, and mother watching this. Wide-eyed. Vengeful. _

_Flickerman stares at me, his red eyes quivering. I smile sweetly. I have no emotion anymore. Want me to have emotion? Stop the Games. _

"_How do you feel about the Quarter Quell coming up?" he asks nervously. He's smiling sappily, but on the inside, I'm sure he's screaming. _

"_I think that it's the absolute worst thing that could happen to a girl!" I say brightly. "I survived this Hunger Games, and now I get to go to another! Yay!" I turn to a camera. "I'm sure I speak for ten of the districts, maybe nine, when I say that nobody likes the Hunger Games! JUST CANCEL THEM ALREADY!"_

_My own courage surprised me. I leaped up on the chair, Caesar shrinking, and I sang a high, clear note as if I were an opera singer. "Hey, everybody!" I yell out. "Who's with me? CANCEL THE GAMES! CANCEL THE GAMES!" The crowd joins in. "Cancel the Games! Cancel the Games!"_

That's how I wanted it to go.

Instead, I sit sweetly and answer every question stereotypically. I can imagine my friends at home, gazing at their TV's in anguish. Caesar has a good time, me, not so much. I swallow a lot. The crown reminds me of the satellite dish I was forced to wear on my head. I finally put it on my lap as we watch highlights of the Games together. My prep team gets more applause than I. So does Wendy and Syria.

Interviews really do suck.

Afterwards, we eat a dinner- thick carrot soup with chicken, fried veggies, and tasty rolls- that fills me up not so much. I get strict portions. I manage to sneak an extra roll, though. Hee, hee…

"So, how do you feel about living in the Victors' Village?" asks squeaky Syria.

"OK," I mumble, sipping the soup. My hair is so much redder than this artificially dyed junk.

"I'm excited to have you as a neighbor!" Syria squeals. I smile weakly.

"Who's gonna live with you?" asks silver-skinned lady from my prep team. I learned that her name was Vivian.

"My dog. Lovey."

"How nice!" sighs the black and golden-skinned woman, Paulina. "My hubby, when he _won_," she emphasizes the word, "lives with me, our four sons, and his mother! What a rat, that woman, but I wanna stay alive, you know?"

I don't know.

"Well," Sea Lady, Randi, says with a wink. "that sounds stunning. But girls, I'm sure that Kit here wants some sleep."

I nod and hide my roll in my hand as I get up. "G-goodbye," I say. Muff, who has only arrived and is more than a little tipsy, started coming over to me. I veered away and darted for the elevator, where I pressed '5' and went up to my room.

I remembered all this. I went to AJ's room first. It smelled like him- kind of apple-ish. I went straight to his 'memory box', where every 5 tribute was required to put basically, a biography of their lives with photos and little trinkets. I opened the blue lid. Picked up a small jar. The label read in sloppy handwriting, _My Toenails Clips_. I gagged. EW. Next thing. A few photos of him and his girlfriend, Leah. I wondered what Leah was doing now. Getting a new boyfriend? Crying? Eating dinner?

I shuffled through the rest of his stuff. He included his very first stick of deodorant, his first tooth to come in (punched out by a bully) and come out, and some random water bottle filled with silver glitter.

I went back to my room. Everything was exactly how I had left it- my silver watch on the table, my clothes wrinkled but hanging neatly in the closet. I grabbed my roll and devoured it in seconds. Then I went and took a good night's sleep.

Except for the parts where I woke up screaming. Screaming that I was going to get killed by Cato.


	12. Chapter 12- Back Home

Chapter Twelve- Back Home

After a few more days spent at that hotel, I was sent back home, riches and new clothing and many new and exotic things in brand-new bags. Once in the District Five station, I was greeted warmly with hugs and kisses on the cheeks. I also was showered with rice and confetti. Normally, food wasn't thrown, but this was an occasion where everyone was invited to an all-you-can-eat-and-bring-home feast. I loved these times. Of course, I'd be expected to make a speech, which I was nervous about.

I went straight to my poorest friend, Parvati's house. She had long, silky, wavy chocolate brown hair, tan skin, and an exotic look. When she opened her door, tears welled up in her eyes and she hugged me- so tightly, I may as well have suffocated.

"You made it home," Parvati cried. I sobbed along with her, eventually giving her and her little sister a bag of my new clothing. I had five on me, and ten would be sent to me every week. She tried to decline, but after I left, I secretly stashed it in her foyer and ran out, taking Lovey with me. She had taken care of him while I was in the arena.

My next friend to visit was the richest, Madeline. She was a Peacekeeper's daughter, and when we girls got together at recess, we couldn't blame her for not being able to play on the playground. I also gave her a bag of fresh clothing.

After that was Carolyn and Faye, and they received multiple hugs and a bag of clothes each, too. Faye accepted it greedily (she spent her money always on entertainment) and Carolyn's mother took it for her because my friend was in shock of the quality. Soft, warm fabric that was stylish as well was hard to come upon to these days in Five.

I finally called Syria on a little watch phone she had given me to pick me up to go to the Victor's Village. Lovey stayed with me. A car came with us- this was the first time I got to ride in a car my whole life. It had plush seats and clear windows. I put my cheek to the seat and kept it there all the way to the Victor's Village.

When I got there I was amazed at all the splendor. The houses were easily as big as the hotel, except for as tall as the hotel was wide and vice versa. And it was mine, all mine, and Lovey's. Perfect for us, who had grown up poor.

When I stepped in, I took off my shoes. The foyer was wide and had a white marble floor with mirrored walls. The kitchen was huge, as was an art studio and a sitting room. Next was the blue and silver living room. Velvet lined the walls, and a huge plasma TV hung on them. There was a plush sofa with matching chairs, and a black marble staircase led upstairs form it. I strutted up, Syria and Muff following me.

"But you haven't seen the courtyard yet!" Muff whined. "It's unbecoming."

"I live here now. I'm sure I'll see it soon," I reassured her. She nodded doubtfully.

I stared out a hallway of many doors with a glass flooring. All the ones on one side, the left, led to modern bathrooms, and the others were guest bedrooms. Travelling throughout the house, I see various sitting rooms, pantries, closets, living rooms, and one of these: a computer lab, an underground kart racing course, a small golf course in the smaller courtyard, and then the main one, which Muff wanted me to see desperately.

It was the size of half a football field, with many cabanas and a few kitchens lining it. On the left side was a huge pool and hot whirlpool; on the other side was soft grass for playing in, similar to the grass Cato died on, but dyed purple to match the color of the pool's creamy water and the paint on the courtyard inside. On many rooms were open windows to let you look in and see the yard. We weren't allowed to venture out and play on the ground in front of our houses unless we have body armor on, for the matter of assassination.

I was impressed. Muff smile knowingly. "Isn't it impressive?" she asks smugly.

The two women leave and Lovey and I are alone. I set up her a bedroom that overlooks the playing area, one that has a cabana. This house is huge. Bigger than I'd want. I could easily fit twenty large extended families in here, including their pets, with room to spare.

That gives me an idea. I run through a maze of hallways to find Muff and Syria sauntering out. "Could I have some people live in here with me?"

Muff looks surprised. Obviously, this is not a common request. "Um, I suppose so… Would they pay rent?" I scowl at her.

"No. They're just kids. And too poor to pay taxes," I reply.

"Oh, you want a few chums to live with! I suppose," she repeats. I nod curtly and usher them out of the house. "OK, thanks! All I wanted to know!" After they've gone, I call up a taxi that will take me to Parvati's shack of a home. When I arrive, I see things I've never noticed before. Mold creeping up the side, devouring the small closet. A horrible paint job inside. Hardly any furniture. When Parvati opens the door, I also see that her jeans are tattered and are two sizes too small. Her socks serve as poor shoes, the soles worn out. I do note with satisfaction, though, that she's wearing a black jacket that was inside my 'donated' bag.

"Oh! Kit! Um…" she's embarrassed to be caught wearing the jacket and blushes furiously.

"Pack your bags," I say. "You're coming to live with me."

Parvati looks astonished, and I nod. Her little sister, Margo, peeks shyly from behind a mildew-covered chair.

"Hurry, I've got a taxi waiting." Parvati begs not to, but the desire in her eyes is unmistakable. I pack her own bags. She has three shirts, a Reaping dress and pantyhose, and a pair of pants. Her shoes are worn when she labors; otherwise, never put on for fear they'll break down as well. Three pairs of woolen socks and a thin maroon sweater, a hairbrush, a ponytail holder, and a few extra things later, Parvati's facing the shack that used to be her home and her little sister's climbing onto the taxi backseat.

When we arrive, Parvati and Margo look amazed. They've hardly ever seen anything god in their lives that was meant for them. And they had reason to be amazed. It was splendiferous even for me. Big, golden… and that was just the outside!

I showed them around, and they picked rooms. Margo got one on the twelfth floor, overlooking the pool and next to a pantry, and Parvati chose a huge room just down th hall from the downstairs kitchen. Me? I got a room on the top floor, the fifteenth. All in all, there were actually sixteen counting the basement, but who cares?

We had four maids, a butler, a handyman, and three chefs. Plus, my prep team lived in a little house off to the side. They had breakfast with us everyday.

A few weeks later, it was time for my Victory Tour.


	13. Chapter 13- The Victory Tour (for now)

Chapter Twelve- Back Home

After a few more days spent at that hotel, I was sent back home, riches and new clothing and many new and exotic things in brand-new bags. Once in the District Five station, I was greeted warmly with hugs and kisses on the cheeks. I also was showered with rice and confetti. Normally, food wasn't thrown, but this was an occasion where everyone was invited to an all-you-can-eat-and-bring-home feast. I loved these times. Of course, I'd be expected to make a speech, which I was nervous about.

I went straight to my poorest friend, Parvati's house. She had long, silky, wavy chocolate brown hair, tan skin, and an exotic look. When she opened her door, tears welled up in her eyes and she hugged me- so tightly, I may as well have suffocated.

"You made it home," Parvati cried. I sobbed along with her, eventually giving her and her little sister a bag of my new clothing. I had five on me, and ten would be sent to me every week. She tried to decline, but after I left, I secretly stashed it in her foyer and ran out, taking Lovey with me. She had taken care of him while I was in the arena.

My next friend to visit was the richest, Madeline. She was a Peacekeeper's daughter, and when we girls got together at recess, we couldn't blame her for not being able to play on the playground. I also gave her a bag of fresh clothing.

After that was Carolyn and Faye, and they received multiple hugs and a bag of clothes each, too. Faye accepted it greedily (she spent her money always on entertainment) and Carolyn's mother took it for her because my friend was in shock of the quality. Soft, warm fabric that was stylish as well was hard to come upon to these days in Five.

I finally called Syria on a little watch phone she had given me to pick me up to go to the Victor's Village. Lovey stayed with me. A car came with us- this was the first time I got to ride in a car my whole life. It had plush seats and clear windows. I put my cheek to the seat and kept it there all the way to the Victor's Village.

When I got there I was amazed at all the splendor. The houses were easily as big as the hotel, except for as tall as the hotel was wide and vice versa. And it was mine, all mine, and Lovey's. Perfect for us, who had grown up poor.

When I stepped in, I took off my shoes. The foyer was wide and had a white marble floor with mirrored walls. The kitchen was huge, as was an art studio and a sitting room. Next was the blue and silver living room. Velvet lined the walls, and a huge plasma TV hung on them. There was a plush sofa with matching chairs, and a black marble staircase led upstairs form it. I strutted up, Syria and Muff following me.

"But you haven't seen the courtyard yet!" Muff whined. "It's unbecoming."

"I live here now. I'm sure I'll see it soon," I reassured her. She nodded doubtfully.

I stared out a hallway of many doors with a glass flooring. All the ones on one side, the left, led to modern bathrooms, and the others were guest bedrooms. Travelling throughout the house, I see various sitting rooms, pantries, closets, living rooms, and one of these: a computer lab, an underground kart racing course, a small golf course in the smaller courtyard, and then the main one, which Muff wanted me to see desperately.

It was the size of half a football field, with many cabanas and a few kitchens lining it. On the left side was a huge pool and hot whirlpool; on the other side was soft grass for playing in, similar to the grass Cato died on, but dyed purple to match the color of the pool's creamy water and the paint on the courtyard inside. On many rooms were open windows to let you look in and see the yard. We weren't allowed to venture out and play on the ground in front of our houses unless we have body armor on, for the matter of assassination.

I was impressed. Muff smile knowingly. "Isn't it impressive?" she asks smugly.

The two women leave and Lovey and I are alone. I set up her a bedroom that overlooks the playing area, one that has a cabana. This house is huge. Bigger than I'd want. I could easily fit twenty large extended families in here, including their pets, with room to spare.

That gives me an idea. I run through a maze of hallways to find Muff and Syria sauntering out. "Could I have some people live in here with me?"

Muff looks surprised. Obviously, this is not a common request. "Um, I suppose so… Would they pay rent?" I scowl at her.

"No. They're just kids. And too poor to pay taxes," I reply.

"Oh, you want a few chums to live with! I suppose," she repeats. I nod curtly and usher them out of the house. "OK, thanks! All I wanted to know!" After they've gone, I call up a taxi that will take me to Parvati's shack of a home. When I arrive, I see things I've never noticed before. Mold creeping up the side, devouring the small closet. A horrible paint job inside. Hardly any furniture. When Parvati opens the door, I also see that her jeans are tattered and are two sizes too small. Her socks serve as poor shoes, the soles worn out. I do note with satisfaction, though, that she's wearing a black jacket that was inside my 'donated' bag.

"Oh! Kit! Um…" she's embarrassed to be caught wearing the jacket and blushes furiously.

"Pack your bags," I say. "You're coming to live with me."

Parvati looks astonished, and I nod. Her little sister, Margo, peeks shyly from behind a mildew-covered chair.

"Hurry, I've got a taxi waiting." Parvati begs not to, but the desire in her eyes is unmistakable. I pack her own bags. She has three shirts, a Reaping dress and pantyhose, and a pair of pants. Her shoes are worn when she labors; otherwise, never put on for fear they'll break down as well. Three pairs of woolen socks and a thin maroon sweater, a hairbrush, a ponytail holder, and a few extra things later, Parvati's facing the shack that used to be her home and her little sister's climbing onto the taxi backseat.

When we arrive, Parvati and Margo look amazed. They've hardly ever seen anything god in their lives that was meant for them. And they had reason to be amazed. It was splendiferous even for me. Big, golden… and that was just the outside!

I showed them around, and they picked rooms. Margo got one on the twelfth floor, overlooking the pool and next to a pantry, and Parvati chose a huge room just down th hall from the downstairs kitchen. Me? I got a room on the top floor, the fifteenth. All in all, there were actually sixteen counting the basement, but who cares?

We had four maids, a butler, a handyman, and three chefs. Plus, my prep team lived in a little house off to the side. They had breakfast with us everyday.

A few weeks later, it was time for my Victory Tour.


	14. Chapter 14- District One (ugh)

Chapter Fourteen- District One (Ugh)

The first leg of the tour was the Career district One. I wasn't particularly glad to go to this area, seeing as how I had witnessed both tributes slowly die off, but it was mandatory. I wore black shining leggings under a retro pink dress manufactured under Glimmer's name. _Little Glimmer Flower_. It's a hideous dress, in my opinion. But nobody asked me. I have to put it on.

My speech is made by professionals. It's so sappy, I want to tear it up. But I don't. That would spark something. The Capitol takes everything, quite literally everything, too seriously. Once, a boy from Eleven at the age of seventeen said that he was lucky that in Eleven, they had better food. Jokingly. But the first day, he survived the bloodbath, got tons of weapons and an ally from Six, but an avalanche killed them both. Just because he criticized the Capitol's food.

"I understand how serious the infraction that I have caused is, and I also understand the controversy" was his mentor's apologizing speech.

It's funny how such little things cause the greatest battles.

Then the people from One reluctantly offer me things- fine clothing, warm food, a place to stay for the night. This last one is made by a boy with serious girl troubles. I can tell that he's obviously got 'swagger' and wants to show it off to many adoring females, of which there is somewhat a loss. His sister, maybe not. She stares at him. Confused, maybe a bit used to this.

Of course, I have to decline.

The next week passes. I have gone through Eight, since you don't go through your own district. None were funny or memorable in particular, except when I was in Seven and a boy aged twelve proposed to me. I just stood there with an odd look on my face until Syria dragged me away.

The train from Eight to Nine is about an hour longer then the usual time because Nine also manufactures clocks, so their time is wacked up. But other than that, nothing happened until Eleven.

The speech was supposed to say, "The wonderful tributes from your agricultural district were excellent and talented at their work in the Capitol arena" but all I could blubber out was, "I'll miss Th-Thresh and Rue a-a-a lot!"

Some old woman, strong and her eyes gushing up with tears as well, meets me at the bottom and takes me into her arms as I start crying and honking like a goose with crazy emotion. "There, there," she mutters, and I see her open her locket. In it is a picture of a strong boy with a live that ended too soon. Thresh.

I board the train sadly, my feet dragging. Thresh. Suddenly I have a burst of inspiration. I grab a goody bag, filled to the brim with money and slips for food and shove it in Thresh's relative's arms. She starts bawling more, and I board the train slowly and in peace.

Twelve is just horrible. I'm in the middle of my speech, trying to sound out a word (supercalifragilisticexpialid ocious) when a guy with black hair tries to grab my shoe in a rage.

"I LOVED HER!" he shouts. "YOU KILLED KATNISS!" I back away, scared, when two Peacekeepers drag him away with blank expressions. No struggling. Just determination. Maybe one of them sponsored me. I bite my lip as I continue, but a little girl with braids who's holding a mangy yellow cat burst into tears. Tongue in cheek moment.

It's crazy how some people really get attached to their friends. The only really good friend I have is Lovey. I couldn't trust Parvati or any of my other friends with important things, though. But Lovey's different. She's a dog.

When I got back on the train, I immediately went to my small but warm bed. Thinking. Why do people love? Is it because they want somebody to care for them? Or something else? I don't think I've ever been in love. Until maybe now. A certain guy crept into my heart— oh, heck, that sounded bad. Sappy.

After a night's sleep and a day more, we were home. But I couldn't relax for long. It soon would be the Quarter Quell.

Which I was so not looking forward to.

At all.

A/N: That's all for this story. I'll start a new one, Kit's 'adventures' in the Quarter Quell. Critique? I do incorporate SOME stuff people PM me in. But that's, like, four ideas. I need YOUR help, guys! !


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